The Seagulls will look ahead to add on to their previous season's success to stay in the Premier League and there is no lack of ambition as the club just kicked off their summer transfer activity by signing Enock Mwepu from RB Salzburg.
With the recent speculations around their star, Ben White in a link to Arsenal constantly rising, the Albions will have to show more activity in the transfer market if they hope to compete in the Premier League for the years to come.
Graham Potter's side has played the entire season with 3 men in the back. Featuring Ben White, Lewis Dunk, Adam Webstar, and Dan Burn on regular occasions to ensure defensive solidity in the back-line. And it all paid off as they conceded only 46 goals last season, something they would be proud of considering their presence as a lower mid-table candidate according to media prediction.
Being a manager who is known for his flexibility with tactics, Graham Potter mostly used 3-4-2-1 and 3-4-1-2 last season. Often retrieving to a back 4 with Dan Burn moving to the left, the English manager often likes to play a narrow formation up in front.
Without the ball, Brighton maintains high pressing plays with their forwards further up the pitch in a diamond formation to force clearances or long balls from opposition defense. If the defense manages to get past the initial press, the team then goes off to a rigid midfield press, increasing the number of bodies on the side of the pitch to overwhelm the opponent and restrict passing options.
When the opposition managed to infiltrate their half of the field, the Seagulls formed a low to mid defensive block with their three center backs and wing backs closed down wide spaces for the opposition to capitalize on.
In attacking transitions, Brighton tends to take a balanced approach. Often playing long balls from the back for pacy attacker Neil Maupay and Welbeck to run into, or building from the back with quick passing and keeping the possession. Thanks to their shot-stopper Mat Ryan, who is capable enough with the ball in his feet, and the ball-playing center backs who are good at passing and can carry the ball further up the pitch.
We have seen Ben White fill in the duty to carry the ball high up the pitch if the opportunity showed up, or else pass it to the players higher up the field to build up attacking plays with both vertical and diagonal passing.
The numerical advantage for playing 3 in the back gives Brighton a lot of passing options at the back, while the back three operates on the ball, two wide players along with two center midfielders come in deep to give the center backs more passing options.
Brighton mostly sticks to the central areas of the pitch in possession of the ball, feeding passes to the wide areas to attack. A quick passing tempo aided with dynamic running that helps in the building up to attack is the key to Brighton's key in attacking transitions.
Albions are not afraid to play diagonal long passes. A fact supported by the statistics that they hold the third most attempted long balls in the league last season.
During possessional plays, Brighton shifts into a traditional 3-2-5, with the two wing-backs running high up the field to let the attacking players form a narrow formation that favors a possession-based game. Something like Thomas Tuchel likes to do with his Chelsea side.
The midfield duo of Pascal Groß and Yves Bissouma stays central rather than drifting wide during possession plays to maintain a diamond passing shape for the players. Pascal Groß, although, tends to exploit the right half-spaces on regular occasions as the most creative player of the squad can feed the balls into the wider players on the right, like Lamptey or Trossard, while also keeping the options to pass it long to Maupay or March on the other end of the field to bolster attacking opportunities.
Moving into the final third of the pitch, we see heavy importance set on Tariq Lamptey and Solly March to put crosses into the box. They averaged around 20 crosses per game last season before the English young right-back suffered an early blow with his Hamstring Injury and had to see of the rest of the season.
The midfield duo changes positions as one of them falls a bit back to act as a holding midfielder when the other simply pushes higher up the pitch to provide a numerical advantage in the final third by forming an attacking diamond. This movement in the midfield lets the inside forwards attack further up in the box.
Brighton has spent £56 million in player signings in the 19/20 season. A hefty amount that paid dividends as they secured some fine signing along with Tariq Lemptey, Maupay, Trossard, and Adam Webstar who ultimately succeeded to keep them in the Premier League for the 5th season in a row.
Having spent that much time in the league, it's about time for Graham Potter's side to up the ante in the battle for mid-table solidity.
The signing of Enock Mwepu for a 4-year-deal raised a few questions about the Zambian midfielder's squad role ahead of the 21/22 campaign. For now, it is expected that the versatile midfielder will act as a backup for Yannick Bissouma or play alongside them in a midfield of three.
Enock Mwepu towers at 184cm, scoring five goals in 29 appearances for Salzburg last season. Quick, agile, and physical. The midfielder can operate in the wide areas of the pitch and put killer balls in the box from the midfield. He can switch the ball on the other side of the pitch with his near-perfect diagonal long balls. His unique ability to read the game has landed him ''The Computer'' label by the Salzburg supporters.
Joining his fellow countrymen Patson Daka in the Premier League, expectations are high from the two Zambia internationals and the fans are expecting them to kickstart their debut in fashion.
Arsenal is getting closer than ever to sign Ben White as Gunners are approaching with a bid for the third time and it is likely that the English international will start the campaign in North London.
These are the transfer stories we are going to get for now from Brighton as further activities from the club in the transfer market are still going unnoticed.
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